My Unexpected Gift
by Cinnamon Clover
Summary: After a drunken one night stand, Rainbow Dash finds herself unexpectedly expecting. That's right! She's gonna be a mom, but first she's gotta survive the eleven months of cravings, mood swings and morning sickness. Follow her on the most trying eleven months of her life, along with her older brother, bestfriend and mom.
1. A Single Pink Cross

Well, I guess this means I'm still alive, or have at least risen from the dead.

Nah, I'm just messing with you! I've just been posting on a different recently. This story is my most recent and by far my best. You might have already seen it on . It's getting pretty popular over there so I thought I would post it here. Don't worry, there's more to come of, at the very least, this story.

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I do not own _My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic!_, nor do I claim ownership for it's characters, ideas or merchandise. The thoughts displayed in this story do not represent the company (_Hasbro's_) views and should be not thought as such.

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Dedicated to my maternal grandparents, some of the first people to encourage me to follow my dreams.

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My Unexpected Gift - Chapter One

A Single Pink Cross

* * *

Rainbow Dash looked down at the little white stick in utter disbelief. At the end of the piece of plastic was the worst thing she could imagine at the moment, a single pink cross. She was pregnant.

It wasn't that she didn't _want_ to be a mom. She _couldn't_ be a mom, or at least not right now. She was a Wonderbolt, a celebrity. If there was one thing Rarity was right about when it came to celebrities, it was that they had to keep up their image.

But that wasn't her main concern. No it was that she didn't want to bring a kid into the world so the paparazzi could hound the foal the moment after he/she took their first breath. Nopony deserved that. Nopony.  
_  
'Well, I guess it's too late for that now.' _Rainbow silently sighed, self-hatred boiling inside of her.

How could she be so stupid? She hadn't had a colt friend in over ten months, even longer since she slept with somepony, or at least so she thought. Yet again, give her enough cider and she was as tipsy as Berry Punch on a _good_ day. Now she was pregnant and didn't even have the slightest clue as to who the father was.

What would happen when word of this got out to the media? What would happen to her career? The Wonderbolts would be greatly troubled if their star performer couldn't perform for a year, even under the circumstances of a maternity leave. Would she be forced to resign? She pushed those questions to the back of her mind in favor of a much more pressing one: how would her friends react? What about her brother? How would he react?  
_  
'There's only one way to find out.' _Rainbow tried to reassure herself, though failing miserably.

* * *

The flight down to the Ponyville library was the longest one she ever took. Not by distance, of course, as she could see Books & Branches Library from her bedroom window. No, rather emotional exhaustion and brain numbing anxiety over the conversation she was just about to have with her unicorn friend.

With her mind preoccupied, she didn't notice where she was going. That is until her head collided with the library tree, the surprise temporarily stunning her and causing her to plummet to base of the tree.

"Ow..." Rainbow moaned as she rubbed the place where the bark met her face, a bump already forming.

"Rainbow are you ok!" Twilight asked as she ran over to her pegasus friend and helped Rainbow up, immediately taking note of the most recent crash wound, "Let's get some ice for that bump."

* * *

"So, any particular reason you crashed into my library today?" Twilight asked, trying to make some light conversation.

The two mares were sitting across from each other in the library's foyer. Rainbow Dash was holding an ice pack to her head while Twilight drank her tea.

"Yeah but it's about _hay fries._" Rainbow started, using the code word for "keep the foals out of earshot".

"Don't worry, Spike is at Sweet Apple Acres playing with the crusaders" Twilight assured her friend.

"Ok, that's good. I don't want this out yet." Rainbow replied, a little bit more relaxed.

"Does it have anything to do with those nausea spells you were telling me about the other day?" the librarian inquired, recalling a conversation they had a few days prior.

"Y-yeah" the cyan mare stuttered, her anxiety returning in an instant.

"What's wrong?" the studious mare questioned, her concern for her rainbow-maned friend growing by the second.

Tears were beginning to prick at the edges of Rainbow Dash's eyes. What if Twilight never wanted to speak to her again? No, she couldn't do it.

"Rainbow..." Twilight asked, caution and concern palliating in her voice.

"I'm pregnant" Rainbow said at a voice barely above a whisper but just loud enough to reach the gifted unicorn's ear.

If it weren't for her mouth being open, Twilight's jaw would have hit the floor. She stared her friend in the eye, looking for any sign of doubt, none of which she could find. Instead, they were full of fear and _something_ else, though she wasn't quite sure what it was.

After taking a moment to collect her thoughts, Twilight asked the inevitable, "Who's the dad?"

Rainbow looked down at her hooves trying to hide herself as to not look her friend in the eye. That other something was now definite in Twilight's mind. It was shame.

"Rainbow," the element of magic asked a little sterner than before, "Who's the dad?"

"I don't know. I had too many and brought a stallion back to my hotel room." the small pegasus admitted fearfully.

Tears had at this point began to openly flow down the athlete's face. The magically gifted unicorn was stunned. Her loyal friend crying was as rare as her successfully performing a sonic rain-boom, a feat she had managed only a hoof full of times before. She had to do something, anything, to comfort her.

"Rainbow..." Twilight sighed, stroking her friend's rainbow mane sympathetically, "You're a strong, independent mare. I'm positive you'll be a great mom, whether or not your foal has a dad."

"That's just it, Twi" the pregnant mare cried softly, finally beginning to calm down, "I don't think I _can_ mother a child. I feel crummy just because I barely get to see you guys anymore. You guys can survive without me while I'm on tour, though. A foal wouldn't be able to. Oh Twilight, what should I do?"

Twi thought for a second before responding.

"You could put it up for adoption," the pink highlighted mare suggested, "but if that's the only reason, you do realize you could always leave your foal with us while your on tour or even take it with you?"

The colorful pegasus wanted to point out the other reasons but the bump was starting to make her head truly pound so she opted to giving a nod, This, unfortunately, made her head even throb more than anticipated and caused a painful wince to follow.

"Well, it's not like the baby's coming tomorrow." the Princess' prized pupil reminded her, "You have time to think over your options."

"Yeah, I guess I do." the sky blue pegasus calmed.

"Have you told the others yet?" the purple mage asked casually as she got up to pour another cup of tea for herself and replace Rainbow's now watery ice pack.

"No, you were the first one I came to." the rainbow maned pony admitted, "I was going to tell everypony individually."

"Well, I would prefer if you would stay for a few more minutes." the purple pony expressed her concerns as she magically switched the old not-so-cold pack with a fresh one, "That was quite the blow to the head."

"Oh, fine." Rainbow gave a look of mock defeat, "I'll stay and read the newest _Daring Do_."


	2. Suddenly, a Baby Shower

My Unexpected Gift - Chapter Two

Suddenly, a Baby Shower

* * *

Rainbow Dash trembled as she approached her next stop on the list of ponies she needed to see. Though slightly calmer than she was on the way to the library, the anxiety from who she was about to have this discussion with made up for it. It wasn't that she disliked Rarity, far from it really, but the white unicorn had a tendency to be rather... judgmental.

Rainbow took a deep breath before opening the door to the boutique and sounding the shop bell.

"One moment darling and then I'll be right with you!" the fashionista called out in a sing song voice from the back room.

After a few minutes, she appeared from behind the workroom door. Her lenses were on, meaning that she had just been working on a design.

"Hello darling, welcome to Carousel Boutique. How can I-" the designer started her generic custom greeting only to realize it was her celebrity athlete friend, "Oh my stars, Rainbow! I wasn't expecting you to come home from spring training this early!"

"Yeah, I wasn't expecting to be back so soon either." Rainbow replied with an anxious chuckle, rubbing the back of her head with her fore hoof, "That's kinda what I wanted to talk to you about."

Rarity placed her glasses on the counter and looked at Rainbow intently. The brash pegasus knew she had to get it over with, like Twilight told as she was leaving, she would need her friends in the coming months.

"You gotta Pinkie Pie promise me that you won't blab to anypony about this and we'll still be friends after I tell you." Rainbow pleaded.

"Cross my heart and hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye." Rarity chanted while doing the various movements.

She would have normally been more reserved about agreeing to her pink friend's name given promise but something in Rainbow's voice told her that this was really important to her.

"Rarity," Rainbow took a deep inhale and let it out in an attempt to calm her rattling nerves, "I'm pregnant."

Rarity looked rather bewildered for a moment but elated the next.

"Oh that's wonderful, Rainbow! I have so many outfits for newborns that I know you'll just love! Who's the dad?" the stylist enthused.

Rainbow took a sigh of relief only to be cut short upon processing her friend's last statement. This was the moment she was dreading. Breathing deeply, she answered.

"I don't know." the Wonderbolt admitted rather ashamed of the events that lead to this.

What her cyan friend said caught Rarity off guard. How could she not know the identity of the father? It wasn't like with the Mysterious Mare-Do-Well.

"What do you mean you don't know?" Rarity whined, though she would have insisted it was complaining.

Rainbow exhaled slowly, "I got wasted after our show in Manehattan and took a stallion back with me to the hotel."

Rarity looked dumbfounded at her rainbow maned friend. She slept with a stallion she didn't even know! And she was intoxicated on top of that!

"Rainbow..." the white unicorn exhaled, "I won't cease to be your friend because of one inebriated mistake."

Rainbow breathed a sigh of relief.

"But that doesn't mean I agree with your reckless behavior! Maybe you should have stayed near your brother. He would never let some drunk off his hide stallion sleep with you, whether or not he himself was sober." Rarity chastised.

"I know, Rare, I know." Rainbow muttered quietly.

* * *

Overall, Rainbow was pleased with her friends' reaction to the news. It made Rainbow feel a beam of confidence about her next destination, Sugar Cube Corner. The only worry she had was that Pinkie would already somehow know and have a surprise party waiting for her.

Rainbow Dash opened the door to bakery to find that it was operating as normal, much to Rainbow's relief. Mrs. Cake was at the register finishing up with a customer and the pegasus started towards her.

"Thank you, Ditzy. Enjoy the muffins." the baker thanked her number one customer before turning to the next pony, "Welcome to Sugar Cube Corner, how may I- oh Rainbow! Your home earlier than usual! What can I help you with sweetie?"

"Hi Mrs. Cake, I came to see Pinkie. She up in her room?" the pegasus greeted before motioning to the staircase.

"Yes, you can go head on up. She said she was expecting somepony." Cup Cake confirmed before sending the daredevil up.

The cyan mare gulped. Maybe she did already know. Rainbow went up the stairs and knocked on her pink friend's door.

"Come in-n!" the hyper mare sang in a sing song voice.

Rainbow took a breath and entered, part of her fearing what might be waiting for her. To her pleasure, it was just Pinkie and pan of freshly frosted cupcakes.

"Hiya Rainbow! My Pinkie Sense told me you and little you were coming over today! Wow, that's strange! It's only you! My Pinkie Sense has never been wrong before except for once while visiting my parents but that's a different story." Pinkie rattled off in one breath, making it hard for Rainbow to follow.

While she might have been missing a few chunks of details, she got the basic idea. Pinkie's sixth mysterious sense told her that she pregnant but the partying mare hadn't registered that's what her sense was saying.

"Pinkie, please stay calm. I have something to tell you but you need to keep it between us and the girls," Rainbow urged before taking a deep breath, "I'm... pregnant."

"Oh that explains it! Would you like a cupcake? I remember when Mrs. Cake was pregnant with the twins, she ate a lot." Pinkie implored.

_'Oh yeah'_ Rainbow noted to herself, _'Mrs. Cake has first hoof experience, maybe I could ask her for some tips or something.'_

"Yeah, I'd love one." Rainbow replied as she plopped one into her mouth.

"How do you like it?" Pinkie inquired, not losing a beat of enthusiasm, "I used some ingredients that are supposed to make you really calm!"

Before Rainbow had a chance to respond, her stance began to wobble and she fell to the floor with a thump, unconscious.

* * *

When Dash regained consciousness, she found herself in a dark room. She struggled to move, but braces around her limbs glued her to a rack formed from a series of sturdy planks, which spread her legs wide apart. The only thing unrestrained were her wings, torso and neck, a fact she used to her advantage. She tossed her head violently back and forth as though trying to reach the restraints pinning down her limbs. Dash's wings beat frenziedly whilst she struggled to escape. As she thrashed, Pinkie sprung abruptly into her panorama.

"Goodie, you're awake. Now we can get started," Pinkie stated gleefully.

"Pinkie, what's going on? I can't move!" Dash said urgently.

"Well duh, that's because you're tied down," chided Pinkie. "That's why you can't move. I didn't think you'd need to be told that."

"But why? What's happening? I thought you were giving me a cupcake, not taking me hostage." the cyan mare asked fearfully.

"You aren't a hostage. You see, I didn't know how else to get you to come with me." Pinkie explained cheerfully.

"What?" Dash asked, her brain now in full panic mode.

Suddenly the lights flipped on, temporarily blinding her.

"Surprise!" hollered a small room full of ponies, all of whom were on good bearings with the pregnant mare.

They were in the basement of Sugar Cube Corner. Pinkie Pie and, probably, the others present had decorated the store room with rattles, stuffed animals and other stereotypical infant things. Light pink and blue streamers and balloons hung from the ceiling. Rainbow Dash had to presume that Pinkie was so excited that she decided to throw a baby shower right away. If it was anything else, Rainbow would be clueless.

"Sorry I had to tie you up, Dashie," Pinkie apologized as she untied the pegasus from the wooden planks, "But would have fallen and hurt the baby."

Rainbow's heart was still pounding loudly, but she was starting to calm down. Nausea was now harkening in Rainbow Dash's thoughts as uneasiness from her prior situation and morning sickness from her ongoing condition churned her stomach. As soon as the poufy maned pony undid the last restraint, Rainbow fell to her haunches, the nausea too much for her.

"Here, use this." the party mare urged as she slid a discarded bucket towards the queasy mare, which Rainbow promptly coughed up the cupcake she had been given earlier and her last meal into.

As she looked up for brief moment in between spews, she saw AJ and Fluttershy approaching her. The pegasus' face was one of concern while the other's was one of irritation.

* * *

Hey everypony, hope you enjoy chapter 2! Since this isn't my primary pony posting account, I'll only post anothet chapter when I get enough new reviews to equal the number of the most recently posted chapter. Till then, this Cinnamon C. Clover signing off.


	3. Friendly Bitching

My Unexpected Gift - Chapter Three

Friendly Bitching

* * *

Rainbow took one last spew into the metallic grey bucket before weakly getting to her hooves to face the two she had been friends with since foal hood.

AJ was furious, no, steaming with her best friend from childhood. How could she! After all the times not only she, but also her mom and brother, had told her never to have intercourse before marriage for this exact reason! Even worse, she didn't have a bucking clue who the father was! But, while Rainbow was receiving the majority of her verbal abuse, she wasn't the only one she had to chew out. Her boyfriend, Rainbow's brother, had promised AJ he wouldn't let his sister out of his sight. He had probably not intended to lose track of his sister and spent the majority of the evening looking for her, but still, he should have kept a better eye on his rainbow maned sister.

"Rainbow! What is the meaning of this! You're pregnant! You don't even have colt friend!" AJ snapped, "No, you just had to go have a one night stand with some stallion..."

Rainbow had been expecting her friend to be like this, but that didn't make it any easier. Yes, she had made a bad mistake. Yes, she should have stayed with her responsible older brother. Yes, she was now pregnant because of her reckless decision making. No, she didn't have to be yelled at so sharply to get it through her mind that she was in Tartarus. She had already realized that since she first suspected something was up a week ago. At least she knew that the tirade would be over quick enough.

"You-you," AJ's shouting fit was nearing its end , "You got drunk off your hide from the cider I sold ya and then took a stallion to bed with ya! You disregarded the last words I said when y'all were leaving for the show! You didn't keep the promise ya made to me and your brother."

Rainbow sighed in defeat. She knew what she did was bad. She knew she _had not_ been loyal to her word. It made her sick just thinking about it. If she could go back in time and stop this from happening, she would. But she couldn't and now she had to live with the consequences.

"Look Rainbow," Apple Jack told her friend, the majority of her anger finally spent, "I know I might be a little harsh but ya made a very bad choice that ya promised ya _wouldn'_ make. And if I'm mad then your brother's gonna be an erupting volcano when he gets here. Speakin' of which, he should be here any sec. I'll try to fan some of his bigger flames but I wouldn' expect him to take this news lightly."

She then proceeded to give Rainbow a reassuring embrace before hightailing for the entrance her intimate other would most likely be coming from. With one crisis taken care of, she turned to see what, hopefully kinder, things the shy mare had to say about her current situation.

"Hey Flutters, what's up?" the mother-to-be asked casually, "Guess you heard about, you know?"

"Oh Rainbow, this is so wonderful! You're going to be a mom!" the yellow pegasus enthused.

It was very apparent the prospect of any of her friends being a care giver of any sort brought her joy. She didn't have the heart to tell her she was considering putting it up for adoption. It would break the poor girl's heart. Rainbow would never be able to forgive herself if she caused her friend to tear up. She was just so... delicate. Not that it was a problem, but you had to be just so careful what you said around her.

"Yeah, I guess." the rainbow maned pegasus shrugged.

"I know it's going to be hard, especially since your foal won't have a dad, but we'll be there to help you. And even if you give it up for adoption, we still won't judge you." Fluttershy assured her friend, as though reading her mind and more so surprising Rainbow that she was able to bring up such a sensitive topic without bursting into tears, "Don't worry, I promise things will be alright."

Fluttershy gave her a gentle embrace before joining their other friends. The gentle pegasus' words helped ease her friend's fears, leaving an aurora of serenity in its wake. Unfortunately, this peaceful state did not last long.

A moment or so later she heard the door slam open.

"WHERE IS SHE?" barked a stern masculine voice.

A chill went down her spine as she heard her friend trying her hardest but still unable to coax the enraged stallion. Her pulse quickened as she heard furious hoof steps rush down the stairs.

Rainbow craned her neck to see the one pony she loved and feared the most, her five year older brother. He was breathing deeply in a vain attempt to vent his anger on something other than his little sis. Beads of sweat covered his light blue coat, his medium blue mane was a disheveled mess and his green eyes bloodshot from adrenalin. He had surely been visiting Mom and Step-Dad in Los Pegasus when he had received the invite and had dropped everything to confront her. He was one of the most loving, protective brothers a pony could think of. The cyan blue mare loved her brother with all her heart, but right now, seeing him was her worst nightmare brought to life.

"Rainbow..." he growled angrily at his sister, gritting his teeth.

Rainbow stuttered, she knew she had this coming, "He-hello Soarin'."

* * *

How does everypony like the plot twist? I know, it's not cannon! I was just thinking 'Huh, their coat colors aren't that far off from each other.' and, voila, they're siblings! Again, I'm not updating till I get three more reviews. Till then, this is Cinnamon C. Clover signing off.


	4. Ohhhh Brother

My Unexpected Gift - Chapter Four

Ohhhh Brother

* * *

Rainbow looked into her big brother's eyes. They were full of anger and disappointment, not unlike those of AJ, but also concern and fear for her wellbeing.

Both he and his younger sister had been produced under those circumstances and boy was it hard. They barely had enough to sustain the bunch of them even with Mom working two part time jobs. Soarin' was glad his sister never had to deal with it, as Mom met her true love right around when she found out she was pregnant with Rainbow, unlike him who had first hoof experience with unquenchable hunger.

He knew Rainbow's foal, being the offspring of a Wonderbolt would never have that problem but the idea that his baby sister was making the same stupid choices as their mom did when she was a young mare made him furious. It wasn't that he was ungrateful for all the hard work she had put into raising her foals up right. It was just those first few years were so rough and even after they didn't know the stallions that helped their mom create them.

He, his girlfriend and their family had repetitively reminded her to stay out of the bedroom. She knew better. He knew his sister knew better. She had known it was wrong but still she had a one night fling with a complete stranger and didn't even protect herself.

But part of him was also blaming himself. He knew his sister had tended to make rash decisions even more than usual when intoxicated. He had been at the bar with her. He saw that drunk off his fat ass stallion flirting with her. He saw them leave the bar together. He could have stepped in. He could have stopped her. But he didn't and for what? The bucking sake of having another beer! He certainly wouldn't make _that_ mistake again!

"How could you!" he pointed an accusing hoof at his beloved younger sister, "After all the times me, AJ and Mom warned you of what might happen! After Mom time and time again told you about how hard it was before Step-Dad came! After I told you how hard it was to go to bed on an empty stomach!"

"I didn't thin-" Rainbow started, shamefully admiring the floor tiles while tears glistened her face before getting cut off by her protective big brother.

"That's right Rainbow, you didn't think! You did whatever you wanted without thinking about the consequences!" Soarin' snapped furiously, "You thought you were too awesome to get pregnant, but no, it looks like you weren't as amazing as you thought!"

Rainbow couldn't bring herself to look at her brother in the eye. The tears had yet to cease from flowing down her cheek and, if anything, they had only become more intense. She wanted sure how many more verbal slaps she could take before she cracked. At least he was always quick to forgive after venting his fumes and apologize after lashing out at somepony.

"And to top it all off, we'll have to find a replacement for you in the squadron on such short notice!" Soarin' growled before taking a few deep breaths to calm himself, "What happened to "let's go and have a few drinks after the show", Rainbow? We got wasted, a stallion took advantage of you and I was too catastrophically drunk to care."

"I don't know, Soarin." she sighed ashamedly, glad her brother's bombast was over but wishing he hadn't gone all sappy on her, "I do think we're becoming Mom, though."

"That we are, my dear sister." Soarin' exhaled solemnly, "Speaking of our old lady, probably not a bad idea to tell her."

"Yeah. Just give me a sec." Rainbow nodded in agreement before thanking Pinkie for the, albeit short, but well intended party and joining her brother once again, "Ok, let's go."

Rainbow extended her wings, as though just about to take off. She had not even begun to flex her wing muscles when she noticed that her brother's feathered extensions had yet to move from his sides. Were they not flying there?

"You coming, Soarin'?" the multi-colored maned mare asked impatiently.

"Of course I am! But I don't think you should try flying all the way to Los Pegasus." her fellow Wonderbolt expressed his concerns, "You could hurt the baby."

"Oh, I guess that makes sense." the rookie Wonderbolt replied as she relaxed her wings, "So, um, how [i]are[/I] we getting there, then?"

"The train." the young co-captain said simply.

He wasn't protecting his sister and his niece/nephew just for the sake of moral obligation or family obligation, not that those weren't big factors in his actions. No, he also gave his word to his girlfriend, her childhood best friend, that he would protect her at any cost. He had never broken a promise to AJ and he wasn't just about to start now. As he and his sister trotted down the streets of Ponyville, occasionally turning down into side streets to avoid the acute chance of running into the paparazzi, his mind returned to the conversation he had just had with his orange mare.

* * *

_"Now I know you're angry with Rainbow," the blond maned mare started as she attempted to block her lover._

_"How could she!" he shouted fiercely, as he attempted to maneuver around the young farm mare._

_"SOARIN'!" she snapped sharply trying to quiet her mate before lowering her voice, "I know. She made some pretty awful choices and she is gonna feel the consequences soon enough, but she's gonna need us and the girls. So don't chew her out too much and make sure she knows we're here for her."_

_Soarin' finally gave in, "Fine."_

_"Oh and Soarin', one more thing." AJ started, regaining her best friend's brother's attention, "Please keep her safe."_

_Soarin' smiled at the orange mare softly, "I promise, AJ. Don't worry about a thing."_

_The orange work horse returned his gesture with a shy kiss on the cheek before cantering off, the honey glow deep in her cheeks. Soarin' sighed before setting his boiler on again. He might be calmer now, but Rainbow didn't know that..._

* * *

Wow, I'm getting these reviews faster than I expected! I'll have to start working double time on chapter 11 if its gonna be done when I promised it would be!


	5. A Little Tête-à-Tête

My Unexpected Gift - Chapter Five

A Little Tête-à-Tête

* * *

Rainbow Dash shifted in a weak attempt to get accustomed to the lumpy train seat cushion. She and her brother were waiting to depart from the station. Rainbow was glad they were taking the train rather than taking to the sky. Her emotional exhaustion and raging hormones were wiping her out as it was. She was silently praying to Celestia that she'd catch some winks on the trip over. She knew this conversation, while emotionally taxing on both ends, was necessary. She could only hope that her mom would be gentle, if not for her then for the welfare of the baby.

_Mom._

The mere thought of the impending meeting made shivers run down her spine. Nothing would be the same after she fessed up. Never again would she see her mother's kind, hardworking eyes again. She'd never hear her honey-sweet voice as she walked in after her shift at the diner, never feel her warm hugs after a rough day. The very thought made her eyes tear up.

Soarin' craned his neck upward from his newspaper at the sound of quiet but still audible sobs coming from the seat across from his own. What he saw was the heart retching site he had ever seen. In front of him was his sister, her eye puffy and red from the salt water in her tears. She wasn't outright crying but rather soft, suppressed sniffling.

He had never seen his sister this weak, this vulnerable, before. Soarin' had always seen his sister as a tough cookie. He knew his sister had a few self-esteem issues but this wasn't what was going on here. She was scared, lost, confused. She needed somepony to guide her. She needed _him_ to guide her. These next few months would be the most trying of her entire life and she would need him more than ever. He had to help her and, right now, that meant lending her a shoulder to cry on and an ear to listen.

"Rainbow, what's wrong?" he asked as he sat moved to the seat next to her.

He lifted the cyan mare's chin and looked into her puffy rose eyes, only to get his hoof swatted away. In those few moments before his hoof was shoved away, Soarin' saw that they were filled with fear and anxiety. There was definitely she was worried about besides rumors spreading about her being a slut. He could take fears about her public image. No, this was worse, _much_ worse.

"Rainbow, you realize that if something is wrong, and I mean _really_ wrong," Soarin' started, putting extra the emphasis in to make sure just how serious he was, "You can always talk to me, right?"

The light blue mare didn't make a sound, besides the previously enacted sniffling, and opted to a weary nod of the head. She knew her brother was waiting for an answer, so she took a deep breath in an attempt to calm herself down enough to make comprehensible words.

"I'm scared that Mom's going to reject me and the foal." Rainbow whispered softly, just barely reaching her brother's ear drum.

The words that assaulted Soarin's ears were the few words he wished he could force back into his sister's mouth. Yes, it was a possibility but it was about as likely as Nightmare Moon appearing outside their train compartment with a basket of treats.

"Rainbow, Mom would never _ever_ even consider cutting one of us off," the half-brother assured his half-sister, "even for making the _'ultimate mistake_'. Especially for making the _'ultimate mistake'_. **We're **_**'ultimate**__**mistakes'**_**!**"

Rainbow's sniffling came to an abrupt halt, though her tears refused to cease streaming down the sides of her face. How could he be so sure that she wouldn't kick her out on her flank after she made such reckless decisions?

"I mean, sure, she'll be pretty upset, but she would never stop loving you. She knows what it's like to be abandoned. She said it hurts worse than anything, that all of our contractions combined were kinder on her than being kicked out of her parents' house." Soarin' explained, struggling to hold back his tears and be strong for his baby sister, "She told me she thanked her lucky stars that she didn't go into labor that day, even when she got the other extreme and gave birth to me two months late. She made a promise even that no matter what the crime, she'd always welcome us, her children, back with a hug and a bowl of tomato soup."

The rainbow maned mare shakily looked up into her brother's loving emerald eyes, searching for any sign of doubt. When she could find none, she nuzzled herself deep into his shoulder.

"It'll be ok, Rainbow. Don't worry, everything will work out." he soothed her tears as he held her close.

_Whoosh._

The trail whistle, though muffled by the train wall interior, rang loudly in their ears. They felt themselves move forward ever so slightly as the locomotive began to turn its wheels. They were on their way.

* * *

Rainbow trembled as she looked up at the red brick apartment complex in front of her. Throughout her childhood, it had been a sight of comfort and stability. Now, all she saw was fear and anxiety. Rainbow froze up when she heard the distant sound of laughing from inside its doors. She was so overwhelmed by dread that she did not hear her brother as he approached her from behind.

"You ready to do this, Rainbow?" he asked, shaking her out of her apprehension driven paralysis.

Rainbow nodded, shaking her senses back into place, "Yeah, let's do this quick."

"Like pulling off a Band-Aid®?" Soarin' clarified.

"Exactly." his younger sister replied flatly.

The two sibling Wonderbolts approached the door. Rainbow sighed, remembering all the times she had spent in the building.

* * *

_"Mom! Mom!" Rainbow cried as she ran into her family's small flat._

_Her mom, startled by the sudden outburst, twisted around, her wings at attention. Upon seeing she was in not any apparent or immediate danger, she lowered her wings and approached her daughter. Upon further examination she was rather worse for wear, her mane caked in rain and scratches on her face, one of which was slowly trickling blood._

_"Rainbow, what happened, sweetheart?" she asked as she wrapped her raggedy doll-like daughter into a comforting embrace.  
_  
_"Somepony was bullying me during recess again, but this time Soarin' was there and he punched the bully so hard some of his teeth came out. Then the playground monitor blew the whistle and the bully said next time we're gonna get it." the young pegasus cried into her mother's shoulder.  
_  
_Bisque right eye twitched slightly. She looked at her daughter, trying to remain strong but failing miserably._

_"Don't worry, sweetheart. I'll see to it that he never bothers you or your brother again." the mare promised, "Now, why don't you get cleaned up and do your homework?"_

_The little filly nodded shakily and the two parted ways for the time being. Bisque sighed, no parent should have to fear for their children's safety, but here she was, comforting her daughter after a classmate had threatened both her and her brother. She collected herself, if not for her, then for the little filly now crying in the bathroom._

_The light blue mare got to her hooves. She knew what she had to do, even if it meant seeing her children less. She had a favor to call in._

_"Hello Ida," she greeted, "its Bisque. Remember that favor you owe me?"_

* * *

Rainbow hadn't been paying attention, lost in the memories of years gone by, until her head collided with wood, as it had earlier that day. She looked around and didn't see her brother anywhere. He had probably gotten whiff of Mrs. Berry's fresh-baked tarts.

"You ok, sweetheart?" asked a sugar-sweet voice, familiar enough that Rainbow prayed that she was imagining this.

She slowly craned her neck and saw the one mare she never thought she could fear talking to till this morning.

"Hello, Mom." she said softly, managing to keep from stuttering this time.

* * *

Another chapter bites the dust! Hope everypony enjoys!


	6. A Mother's Love

My Unexpected Gift - Chapter Six

A Mother's Love

* * *

Rainbow could feel her stomach do somersaults as she looked at her mother, though it might have been another round of morning sickness. She was too nervous in the face of her mother to tell.

"Rainbow, sweetheart," her mom started, "you look like you've seen a ghost."

Rainbow had not realized how long she had been staring.

"Sorry, Mom." Rainbow apologized sheepishly.

"Don't worry about it dear," the blue mare in front of her instructed, "but if my hunch is correct, you have something on your mind you need to talk about?"

Buck, she was scary good at reading her kids. Rainbow just nodded half-heartedly in defeat. Her mom approached her with a smile.

"Then come in and I'll make you something to eat." the older pegasus replied as she wrapped her wing around her daughter and led her inside, "Go wash up and I'll call you when it's done."

Rainbow sighed as she entered the washroom. She picked up the wash cloth and proceeded to clean her face. The feeling of butterflies doing zigzags in her belly had yet to cease, but she thought they'd go away soon enough. She was, regrettably, correct. Less than a minute later, the multi-chromatic maned Wonderbolt found herself hunching over the latrine, emptying the contents of her stomach in a large multi-colored spew lining the toilet.

"Rainbow," the honey-sweet voice of her mom asked as she entered the bathroom to see the matter, "what's- oh my stars!"

The mare was quickly on her haunches, pulling her daughter's mane out of the way with her hoof. After five or so minutes, Bisque helped her daughter to her old bed and put her under the covers. She felt the young mare's forehead and let out a sigh.

"Well, you don't have a fever" she announced after a few moments, "And I can't think of anything else that would make you start throwing your cookies."

Rainbow, not quite comprehending the words her mother said, just nodded complacently.

"Rainbow, please tell me," her mom begged, "is something wrong?"

Rainbow wasn't quite sure how to respond to that question. She was _fine_ but the situation was _less than ideal_.

"Rainbow, please," Bisque restated, "I just wanna make sure my baby girl is ok."

Rainbow looked into her parent's caring, pleading eyes. There was no way she could lie to her mother. Rainbow looked away to wipe her tears and looked her mom square in the eyes.

"Mom, I'm pregnant." Rainbow spoke softly.

The tears had yet to cease. Oh Celestia, why was this so hard? Then her mother began to laugh at her. Was this really the kind and caring mother she knew and loved?

"Oh, Rainbow!" she chuckled, "I'm not laughing at you. I'm laughing at myself for not thinking about that possibility."

Well, at last that was normal. But why wasn't she hounding her daughter out yet? After taking a moment to collect herself, the rainbow maned grandma-to-be continued.

"You would have probably brought the stallion with you if you knew who the dad was so that means," her mom interpreted, "you made the same stupid choices I made."

Why wasn't she getting assaulted by not so kind words yet? Rainbow started to cry even more. The widowed mother glanced over to see tears flowing down her daughter's cheeks.

"Rainbow, look at me," the middle aged mare said as she lifted her daughter's chin with her hoof, "I would never stop loving you for a stupid choice."

She then proceeded to wrapped in a hug from her expecting daughter.

"I'm sorry!" she sobbed loudly, "I'm so so sorry!"

The older mare ran her hoof down her daughter's mane and soothed, "its ok, sweetheart-"

* * *

_"-Mommy's here." the young rainbow maned mare pacified her daughter as her husband, hr children's step-dad, was lowered into the ground._

_It was a rainy mid-autumn day. The kind of day one would want for a funeral: the wind blowing, the sky gray and the trees barren. Everything around Bisque made her want to cry._

_But she couldn't. She had two foals who needed her, a daughter who was scared to see the only dad she had ever known with a bloody hole in his chest from where the bullet came in contact with him and a son who was to stubborn to admit how scared he was himself. She needed to assure them everything would be alright, even though it would never come to surpass. If it was they wouldn't be leaving tomorrow with the Apples. If it was then she would be able to move to Ponyville with them._

_But she couldn't. All she could do was comfort her foals and pray they would be safer with their god-mom._

* * *

_**Ding!**_

The timer on the stove went off, bringing the rainbow maned pegasus out of her thoughts.

"Feeling better, sweetheart?" the mother asked, trying to recollect herself .

"Yeah." Rainbow sighed contently.

"Good." her mom praised as she helped her daughter out of bed, "Now come on, soup's ready. Oh where did that brother of yours go? I'm sure I saw him drifting down the hall."

* * *

A/N: Hey everypony, it's another chapter! From now on I'll submit a chapter for one review and two hundred views, so hopefully the updates will be less erratic. Have pony-rific day! PS: don't suggest that I bring the absentee father in and make RD have an easy happily ever after. It would completely derail the next story.


	7. Hospital Memories

My Unexpected Gift - Chapter Seven

Hospital Memories

* * *

Soarin' and the rest of the Wonderbolts could not remember the last time they flew this fast. Rainbow Dash was being carefully balanced on the blue co-captain's shoulders. In the distance they could see their designated destination, Canterlot Hospital. As their hooves came in contact with the ground, they were already off to the nurse's station. The nurse present quickly called for two orderlies to take Rainbow to the ER examination room. Soarin' followed her all the way to the double doors.

What happened? One second she was fine, being congratulated by a few of her teammates while Spitfire looked on displeased, the next she was on the floor unconscious.

* * *

_**KNOCK! KNOCK! KNOCK!**_

"I'll get it!" the young mother-to-be said as she got up before her mother could react.

She looked through the peep hole to see her brother panicking. She pulled the door open only to be pulled out by her brother.

"Rainbow, we need to get out of here!" he exclaimed as he forced the two of them to take to the skies, "The paparazzi caught wind about Pinkie's party and now they're after you!"

Rainbow nodded and the two took off at high speed to the only place they wouldn't be looked for... Wonderbolt HQ.

Everything was fine at first, but after a while Rainbow began to slow. Soarin', seeing his sister was tiring looked for a cloud for them to rest on for a while.

"Here" he said pushing a cloud over to his exhausted sister only for her to separate it and push herself even harder.

"I can do it Soarin'. I'm pregnant, not helpless." she sighed, annoyed with her brother's over protectiveness.

Soarin' just sighed. He knew his sister _wasn't_ Wonder Mare, despite her constant attesting that she was. She'd learn sooner or later.

* * *

Oh why hadn't he insisted that she take a rest? For all he knew, she could have gone into cardiac arrest. If she had died, he didn't know what he would do. And what about the foal? If she had a miscarriage... well he wasn't sure how she'd react, but it wouldn't be pretty. Almost as bad as the time AJ-

AJ. Oh yeah, that was another thing to worry about. He had never broken a promise to her before tonight and he definitely didn't like the way it felt, betraying his trust. But that wasn't what hurt the most.

No, it was the memory of the last time he had been waiting to hear about the life status of a family member that was killing him from the inside out.

* * *

_Soarin' could only look on in complete and utter horror as he looked at his step father's still chest. There was a bloody rupture in the center where the gunman's bullet collided with the young stallion. His dad was asleep, he kept on telling himself. Yes, he would open his eyes in a few minutes and wrap him in a remedying embrace. He'd tell him everything would be alright. He'd tell him he's alright with a soft smile and sing him a lullaby._

But he knew he wouldn't. He was gone and not coming back.

Soarin' shifted his vision from the unmoving corpse to his sister. She was only six. She didn't deserve this. She might not have understood what death was but she understood one thing: Dad had entered an endless slumber. She was scared and crying. She needed him to tell her it would be alright. But he couldn't. He promised he'd never lie. Dad would turn over in his grave if he had learnt he had broken his vow.

* * *

Mrs. Dash flapped her wings as hard as she could. Her only daughter was in the hospital. The last time she had been to a hospital was so many years ago but still so fresh in hr mind: the night Stormy was shot down by the local gang.

* * *

_Bisque could feel the tears rolling down her cheeks despite her best efforts to contain them for the sake of her children. They didn't deserve Dad to die and seeing Mom break down in tears would make it even worse. His chest had stopped rising a few minutes ago and postmortem would start taking effect before the hour was up. She held her daughter's hoof as they went over to the side of his bed to say their goodbyes. Rainbow went first._

"Nighty, night Daddy" Rainbow squeaked innocently before hugging him and kissing him on the forehead as if he was just asleep.

Oh, Celestia, no! She didn't understand! How would she explain that Daddy wasn't waking up? She'd cross that bridge when she got to it.

"Rainbow, how 'bout you go sit with your brother in the hall?" the young mom suggested, not wanting her youngest to see her break down like she was bound to do.

The little filly complied and trotted over to the door. As soon as Bisque heard the door close, she collapsed onto her husband's deathbed, tears streaming down her face.

"Oh why! Why did this have to happen!" she sobbed over the lifeless corpse.

* * *

Apple Jack couldn't remember a time in her life when she was more scared than she was at the moment. Her best friend since childhood was in a hospital bed, probably fighting for her life, possibly even dead. She and the other elements were sitting in the Friendship Express, waiting anxiously for their arrival in Canterlot. Everypony was scared out of their senses when they got the call that their spunky pegasus friend had suddenly collapsed and was under intensive care in Canterlot.

How could this happen? He promised he would keep her out of harm's way and it wasn't like him to break a promise. Every urge in her brain told her to be furious with him.

But she knew she couldn't be angry with the co-captain of the Wonderbolts. He loved his sister to no end and would do anything to keep her safe, even if it was at the cost of his own flesh and blood. He was the one who taught Rainbow the importance of loyalty and how to stand up for others.

That's what she loved most about her stallion, his unyielding loyalty and compassion for others, not that his well-toned muscles were something to gibe at in the slightest. Or his witty sense of humor. Or his adorable smile. Or his emerald green eyes. Or his...

What was she doing? Her best friend was dying and here she was, thinking about how irresistible her brother was! It was unacceptable, even if they had been going steady the last five years! No, she had to focus. Rainbow was hurt and would need all of her friends when she woke up. If she woke up, that is.

* * *

_'Hello?' Rainbow asked fearfully._

_She was surrounded by nothing. Just nothing. Was she dead? _

_**'Don't - Rainbow! Please - up!"** she heard somepony plead, though she couldn't comprehend the words she presumed were most crucial._

_What was that about? Do they want me to fly up? Am I falling? She didn't have time to think this over, though. A blinding light beamed and pulled her in._


	8. A Heavenly Intervention

My Unexpected Gift - Chapter Eight

A Heavenly Intervention

* * *

Slowly, the glow began to lose its intensity until the magenta-eyed mare could see easily. When she dared to open her eyes again, she found herself lying face down on a misty white cloud. What was going on?

_"Rainbow..."_

The cyan pegasus craned her neck upward see who was trying to talk to her. She was stunned to be met with a pair of yellow eyes. She gasped, unable to make any other kind of sound, and quickly got to her hooves. She hadn't seen those yellow eyes, or multi-chromatic mane, with the exception of her own, or light violet coat in a very long time, twenty one years to be exact. She was staring face to face with her step-dad.

_"Rainbow..."_ he repeated, waiting for his adopted daughter to respond.

"D-Dad?" the young mother to be stuttered fearfully, unsure if this was real or all in her head.

It sure felt real... but it couldn't be! Her impromptu dad was long gone, six feet under the surface in Rose Dale Cemetery! He couldn't be here! And even if he was he'd be nothing but a pile of bones! She was pretty sure this wasn't Celestia's Paradise, as this was anything but euthanasia.

_"I've missed you, sweetheart."_ his gentle voice soothed.

"I-I've missed y-you too, Dad." she replied, tripping over her words, "Um... am I, you know-"

_"No,"_ he interrupted, _"But you are in the hospital and were close to joining me with an early demise of your own creation not too long ago."_

Rainbow winced uncomfortably. Maybe she should have taken Soarin' up on his offer. The baby factory that was her body needed a lot of energy.

Then it struck her.

If she had just been fighting for her life, how on Equus was her baby holding up? She felt tears prick at the corners of her eyes as a full set of fearful thoughts crawled to the front of her mind. Was she hurt? Was she going to be ok? Was she left crippled now because of her mom's Celestia-damned stubbornness? The cyan blue mare wouldn't be able to forgive herself. All her little filly's potential, locked up, never being able to used! Rainbow was now at to a full out sob as the most dreadful of thoughts intruded. What if her little, under developed heart gave out? What if she was died or was dying? Rainbow grabbed her head in attempt to stop the swirling thoughts. No! No! No! She couldn't allow herself to think like that!

It was strange. How did she suddenly feel such a connection with her yet to be named daughter? She had only found out she was with foal, what, a day ago, and when she first saw that pink cross, she was sure she couldn't be a mom!

_"It's because you're her mother and she's part of you, or at least that's what all those cliché books say."_ the dead stallion answered.

How'd he know-

_"I'm in your brain, sweetheart."_ he once again answered without Rainbow vocalizing any of her thoughts.

"So does that mean is this all a dream?" Rainbow asked to be sure.

_"Yes and no."_ he replied much to his daughter's dismay, _"Though you are in a dream, I am really in it."_

Hey, isn't that like-

_"Yes, she was the one who granted me permission to visit your dream."_ he confirmed, _"Now, Rainbow I need you to do something for me."_

The daredevil mare looked up to see her father approaching her to, presuming, give her a hug. Rainbow smiled contently as he wrapped his forelegs around her.

"What?" she asked calmly.

_"Wake up"_ he said simply before breaking the embrace and he giving her a kiss on the forehead, causing a great pain to surge through her head.

Rainbow grabbed her head in agony. The world around Rainbow began to swirl in a vortex of colors as Rainbow could feel herself physically waking up from her unanticipated slumber.

* * *

Rainbow slowly fluttered her eyelids apart, the lights, once again, temporarily robbing her of her sight. Once her vision stopped blurring in and out, she found herself staring up at a paste white ceiling tiles. The sound of a heart rate monitor irritated her ears, but oh what a fine irritation it was. She was alive! She felt sleep deprived as Tartarus, barely being able to find the energy to readjust herself so she could see what was going on, but she was alive!

"Hey look, she's waking up!" sounded an overly enthused blue stallion.

Rainbow was surprised to see only her family was present in the hospital room. Before the mare had a chance to think this over, she was grabbed by a mare with a slightly darker coat than her own.

"Rainbow, oh thank Celestia you're alright." her mom sniveled, tears of relief swerving down her face, "When I heard you were in the hospital-"

Her mom broke down in another fit of tears.

"It's ok, Mom." Rainbow tiredly mollified her mother's tears, "I was stupid for not taking Soarin's advice. I'm sorry."

"You sure were RD!" her brother interjected with a smirk from ear to ear, enjoying his sister's confession.

"Well, as nice as this little reunion is, I still need to tell her about her current... condition." added a new voice as a unicorn doctor stepped out from behind a piece of equipment.

"I know, I know," Rainbow retorted with a roll of her eyes, "I'm expecting. On the nest. _Pregnant_."

"Oh, well then carry on then!" he sounded surprised at her fore knowledge, "Well then, should I send the reporters in? They were curious as to what happened and I think it would be best if you told them of the pregnancy yourself."

"Nah, I'll have Soarin' be my messenger- WAIT!" Rainbow snapped, "Did you just say they didn't know?"

Rainbow shot Soarin' a glance so fierce some that if looks could kill, he would have been killed ten times over. Soarin' gulped and prayed that it would be over quick.


	9. Mood Swings

My Unexpected Gift - Chapter Nine

Mood Swings

* * *

Rainbow's anger was skyrocketing, as proven by the intensifying beeps coming from the heart rate monitor. Quick as a flash her hooves were around her older brother's neck, though could be viewed as an intense hug was clearly an attempt to strangle him. How did they not know! Soarin' was asked about the party by what he presumed to be a reporter on his way up after getting some tarts from Mrs. Berry and had managed to shake him in the park outside the apartment building. The sky blue stallion tried to get out but her grasp was too strong, or at least she was too bent on killing him. Soarin' had all but given up hope when suddenly she loosened her grip and fell back onto the pillow, fast asleep. Soarin' fell backwards to the floor in surprise to her sudden lack of force.

"What," he started as he climbed back to his hooves, looking around for an explanation to his sister's abrupt torpor, "just happened?"

Had Soarin' paid better attention, he would have noticed the doctor come up from behind Rainbow with a syringe levitating in his magic.

"Sedatives." the doctor explained with a deadpan expression upon his face, "She'll be out for the next several hours, giving you some time to think up a plan so she doesn't want your head when she gains consciousness."

The stallion let out a small sigh of relief and the doctor joked, "Besides, she was exhausted as it was. I just didn't think you could wait for it to come naturally. Though, I doubt I'll be there to tranquilize her every time her temper gets the better of her, so I wish you and your family luck during the up and coming months."

The doctor then trotted out of the room to complete his rounds and shoo the magazine representatives away. Soarin' just looked stunned. Sure he was relieved that he wasn't joining his step father in Celestia's Paradise yet, but the realization of just how hard this was really setting in. He might have known it would be hard afterward, but he had not anticipated how many near death incidents would happen before his niece or nephew came into the world. Soarin' gulped at the very idea, especially considering how close her bed was to a cart of injection needles. How in the good name of Celestia was he supposed to survive the months to come with a hormonal sister? He just hoped his beloved or one of their four mutual friends had an idea. They were the only ones who knew Rainbow as well as he did, so if they couldn't think of something, no pony could.

* * *

"And that's what happened!" Soarin' finished explaining the spectacle that took place in hospital room 204 to the five mares seated with him.

They were seated in Joe's Doughnuts, enjoying a nice lunch

"Well, that _is_ something to be expected, I suppose." Twilight added, "All the books I've read on the subject say that mood swings are one of the most common early tokens of foal bearing, along with morning sickness. Not only that, but Rainbow has a very fierce temper."

Her friends slowly nodded in agreement, though the last statement was rather blunt, even if it was true.

"Maybe you could try complimenting her? I remember Mr. Cake complimented Mrs. Cake a lot when she was pregnant and saying all these funny words I'm not allowed to repeat!" Pinkie suggested naively, much to her friends' chagrin, "It was right before the twins were born!"

Her friends all simultaneously shuddered, remembering the scar Carrot had on his cheek after his wife went into labor. Despite what Pinkie was talking about wasn't quite a mood swing it would hopefully work in this situation. Soarin' didn't have any better ideas so he had to pray that he wasn't a dead pony.

"Ok, thanks. I'll try that out." Soarin' sighed as he got out of his seat, "I'll tell you guys when they let non-family visitors in."

* * *

Later that afternoon, the mares returned to the waiting room. They had just barely set hoof on the tiles of the hospital's floors when they heard a high pitched scream come from their friend's room.

"Quick nurse get the sedatives!" they heard the voice of Rainbow's doctor urge.

The mares exchanged anxious glances.

"Was that-" AJ started, dumbfounded.

"You don't think-" Rarity picked up, shock palpable in her voice.

Suddenly a light blue blur shot out of the room. A sky blue mare and a band of seven medical ponies with syringes hot on her tail bolted out after him, confirming their fear.

"HELP!" he screamed as he passed them by.

"SOARIN' GET BACK HERE!" the rainbow blur roared ferociously before tackling him to the floor and pinning him on his back.

The blue mare pulled a small plastic knife out her disheveled mane.

_Slash!_

"Oh, that's gotta hurt!" AJ winced, looking away from the scene in front of her as her friends did likewise.

* * *

AJ sighed as she glanced over at the sky blue stallion leaning against her side as he slept. The bandage wrapped around his upper left foreleg was bloodied red from the wound his pregnant sister made with the plastic dining utensil. They were riding the late train to Ponyville where Soarin' was going to stay during the next several months, though both of them hoped they could make it permanent. Their _outwardly_ reason for him staying at the Acres was to make sure he could be there to assist in Rainbow's foaling, but their _greater_ intention was to take the next step in their relationship, not that being there for the aggressive pegasus wasn't important to both of them. They _had_ been talking about going up to the next tier of their commitment to each other. It would have happened on its own sooner or later, the current situation just sped up the process.

Rainbow was being released the following morning and, while both wanted more than anything to be there when she got out, she possibly was still driven to ending the sleeping lover colt's life. To be on the safe side, the orange mare was put with protecting in case they couldn't get to her by the time they reached home the following morning.

AJ just hoped she wouldn't have to.

* * *

A/N: Again, not my best. Sorry, I was distractdd by my "friendly nighborhood Dash" (aka. my inner Dash voice whom I have corrupted to fit the story) who says that I'll never be her pet and that my writing is adorable trash. Now she's saying her life is ruined and Pinkie Pie is as random as a word Pinkie has been barred from using. She vomits and sleeps a lot, sound familiar?


	10. Regrets in the Morning

My Unexpected Gift - Chapter Ten

Regrets in the Morning

* * *

"Uh..." moaned the rainbow maned mare as she woke to the sound of a tree branch hitting the building, "What happened?"

Rainbow looked around for any indication of what had transpired, a task made harder by the only light was emitting from the moon outside her window. She remembered receiving a death hug from her mother but everything after that was blurry. She remembered vaguely waking up twice, but other than that she was stumped.

The blue mare found no clue to point her in the right direction. She turned on her side in an attempt to get comfortable only to find a cart full of syringes sitting next to her bed.

"What the..." she started bewildered at the size of one needle, only to have the memories flash in front of her very eyes.

* * *

_"Rainbow, what are you doing!_

_"Quick, nurse get the sedatives!"_

_"HELP!"_

_**Slash!**_

* * *

Rainbow shuddered at the memory. Why had she done that? He was just looking out for her. He wasn't _intending_ to misguide her. She had some serious apologizing to do next time they met. Hey, if he was in the waiting room, she could get it over with now!

Rainbow tossed the covers and swung her legs over the edge of the bed, in the process, knocking the bedside table and causing several papers on it to tumble to the floor in a scattered mess. Without thinking, the mare got down to clean up the papers. She was haphazardly gathering up the various clusters of parchment when she caught sight of a receipt from the train depot.

* * *

_Canterlot Grand Station_

_2 Evening Ponyville Express 4¤_

_5 Morning Ponyville Express 15¤_

* * *

Oh great! They probably sent Soarin' home with AJ in fear that she was still angry manticore. Though she understood their trepidation, especially considering her earlier behavior, that reasoning irritated to her no end. Now she'd have to wait till she was released! Though, if the receipt was any indication, she was most likely going to be released the next morning.

Rainbow slumped into her bed, wishing that they were there. She turned to her side once again in an attempt to return to the realm of sleep. A cool gust of wind made a shiver run down her spine and the mother to be looked up to see the source, an open window with its curtains billowing in the breeze.

Maybe she didn't have to wait after all...

* * *

A series of loud barks woke the orange mare from her much needed slumber. She glanced at the analog alarm clock on her nightstand. The smaller of the two hands was barely past the one. She grumpily stammered out of her bedroom to see what the deafening noise was.

She was surprised to find the source of the howling to be her dog, Winona. The brown sheep dog was standing guard at the front entrance way and doing the best of her abilities to make sure everypony in the house knew it. It was a miracle in its self that she was the only one woken by the family pet's barking. The farm mare looked out the small window hole in the door to see her rainbow maned friend on the front porch, panting and out of breath.

The blonde mare undid the locks and pulled the exhausted pegasus inside without a second thought. As much as she wanted to be furious with her, she couldn't. She knew Rainbow wasn't in her right mind at the time. Besides, even if she was still steaming with the rookie Wonderbolt, the poor girl looked like she was going to faint. Angry or not, Rainbow was her oldest friend and her wellbeing was still important to her.

"Come on Sugar cube," the earth pony guided as she herded Rainbow to the guest room, "You look plum tuckered out. Let's get ya to bed."

Rainbow was too drained from the long flight to object and thus she opted to submitting to her friend's concern. She simply followed and climbed into the spare bed, falling asleep and completely forgetting her mission as soon as her head hit the pillow.

Seeing her friend fast asleep, the young mare tip toed out of the room and into her own. She climbed into her bed and turned over to face her partner.

* * *

Soarin' moaned uncomfortably in his sleep, once again waking up the young orange mare. She turned over on her back to check the time. The hour hand was just barely past the four. It was better, but still too early to be up. The reason, however, for this unexpected waking was far less irritating. She sat up in her bed and turned her attention to her mate. He was sweating from the mild fever his injury caused and pained tears ran down the creases of his face. He was going to need an aspirin soon. Now sounded like a good time to get them for him rather than later.

She slipped out of bed and tip toed out of her room, careful not to disturb the already maimed stallion barely clinging to his realm of sleep. She let hr breath go after closing the door, thankful that she hadn't woken the sore stallion, and went to the bathroom. After rumaging the medicine cabinet for a few minutes she found the small bag they had given her when she was checking Soarin' out of the hospital. When she returned to the room, she found Soarin sitting up in bed. His eyes were strained, sweat bled down his face and his cheeks were purple from his attempt to keep his agonizing scream in. AJ rushed over to the side of the bed with the tiny plastic baggie.

"Sugar cube!" she sounded, hoping for a response.

She was pleased to receive a reaction in the form of his pupils shifting to her.

"Sugar cube, I need you to breath out slowly." she instructed urgently, "Can ya do that for me?"

He slowly released his breath, letting out a very pained wince before popping two pain killers into his mouth. AJ thought it best to use this time before his body registered to the narcotic to change the blood stained cloth bandage.

"Mind giving me that there leg of yours?" she inquired, motioning to the injured limb.

Soarin' gladly obliged, slowly lifting his wounded appendage for his mare friend's examination. AJ used her teeth to undo the clips and unwound the rags that covered his extension. She winced at the sight of the bloody mess that was his leg. True, it was better than when the doctor had originally wrapped it earlier that evening, but it was still a sight for sore eyes.

"That bad, huh?" the blue stallion mused nervously.

His pain, though clearly still present by the forced smile, was far less intense than when she had walkd into the room. AJ sighed.

"Well, it's better than before, I'll tell ya that much." the orange work horse reassured her lover.

The silence that followed was deafening. Neither one wanted to be the first to speak, but neither one wanted this silence to continue. It ended up being the young mare who broke the sheet of silence.

"So... um," the apple farmer started awkwardly, "Your sister's here?"

Soarin' was suddenly at full attention.

"What! Where is she?" he exclaimed, scared for his own wellbeing.

"Don't worry about it, Soarin'," the young mare assured, "She's not gonna hurt you."

Soarin' wasn't sure if it was the pain meds kicking in or the strength in her voice, but he knew she was telling the truth. AJ gave him a peck on the cheek and the two returned to the realm of dreams.


	11. The Press Conference

My Unexpected Gift - Chapter Eleven

The Press Conference

* * *

Apple Jack was humming to herself as she kneaded an apple pie crust. Her older brother was in town, working the apple stall and Apple Bloom was at school, leaving her alone with her grandmother and colt friend, both of whom were sleeping. A rapid pounding on the door suddenly interrupted AJ mid note. Abandoning the unfinished pie crust, the orange farm mare went to the front door. When she opened it, she was surprised to see a frenetic Spike. His eyes were bloodshot with the pupils shrunken. AJ didn't know what to make of it.

"Spike, is everything okay?" she asked, concern so thick it was palliating the air.

"Twilight- Rainbow- S-" he started, only to get cut off by the orange mare.

"Slow down there, Sugar cube!" the young mare instructed, "I can't very well help you if I don't know what you're saying!"

"I just got a letter from Twilight saying Rainbow isn't at the hospital and might be her way here!" Spike managed to get out in one breathe.

AJ chuckled slightly at his trepidation. Had he come running over the previous night, it might have meant something. Now, however, it didn't have any real need for worry, as Rainbow had already come and gone.

"What?" inquired the little purple dragon, taken back a little by the unexpected laughter.

The orange mare took a moment to collect herself before continuing.

"Spike," she started, still having a slight giggle in her throat, "She was already here!"

"Really?" Twilight's number one assistant asked skeptically.

"Eeyup, showed up round here last night." she reaffirmed with a smirk as she motioned Spike to follow her inside the farmhouse, "She was a might tired so I sent her right on up to bed."

"Where is she now?" questioned the baby dragon as they walked into the kitchen, "You said she _was_ here, so where is she now?"

"Her manager called." AJ answered as she returned to kneading her dessert's outer layer, "Said something 'bout a press conference in Cloudsdale."

* * *

"Rainbow! Rainbow!" called one reporter, "What do you say to the reputes of you being on pain killers?"

The cyan blue mare scoffed at the journalist. The bright flashes from the cameras blurred the individual ponies even more than the shear amount of them did. The constant questions from representatives assaulted her eardrums. It was enough to make anypony lash out.

But Rainbow wasn't just anypony. No, she was vigorous mare with a head full of hormones and a round of morning sickness to boot. She knew she couldn't let our her anger on the media for her and her baby's sake. She just wanted to spill the beans about her pregnancy, answer a few questions and hit the trash can. Rainbow took a moment to collect herself so she didn't blow a fuse at some pony, deserving or other wise.

"I'm sure you all heard about my recent hospitalization." she started calmly, "No, I am not doing drugs. I'm also free of steroids, disease and injury. Actually the whole hospital thing was, in part, my own stubbornness and part some very exciting news I have to share with all you lovely ponies. As of today, I am out for the remainder of this season and most of the next on maternity leave. Yeah, that's right Equestria. The rookie's preggo. Now, I know you all have questions for me and this is a press conference but please. I for one wouldn't like to share what I ate for breakfast with all of Equestria."

A copious amount of hooves flung into the air, just as Rainbow expected. Rainbow pointed her hoof at one of the ponies.

"What is the name of the father?" a brown coated pegasus stallion asked.

"No comment." Rainbow said flatly, hoping to avoid the "unknown father" scandal that would inevitable result.

Rainbow pointed to another hoof in the massive sea of reporters.

"Are you considering home birth or hospital delivery?" the reporter, a pink pegasus mare with an icy blue mane, inquired.

"I haven't really thought about it yet. I'll probably go the traditional route, if possible." Rainbow admitted with a shrug and selected another hoof from the crowd.

"Do you hope you foal will be a boy or a girl?" asked a violet mare Rainbow thought she recognized from when Fluttershy was modeling.

"Haven't really thought about that either. I guess it doesn't really matter to me whether it is a filly or a colt." the temporarily out of commission Wonderbolt thought out loud, "Though, I'll admit, something in the pit of my stomach tells me it's a little lady putting me on this extensive leave."

A few questions later, Rainbow lunged foreword slightly as her stomach did a somersault. She could feel the vomit rising in her throat. The mare knew she did not have long before she blew.

"I know I didn't answer all your questions," she excused herself from the press table, "but I've got a date with a paper bag and I'd rather not be late."

The nauseated mare quickly flew out of sight of the platform was to the nearest public restroom, something she took note of on her way to the meeting. Barely getting a chance to get genuflect over the toilet, she let her lunch loose, creating a disgusting mural in the bowl. Rainbow groaned after a few minutes of agonizing food-filled burping, getting back to her hooves and hoping nopony heard her little spewing calamity. She just prayed things would get better.


	12. Scoot's Mom, The Wonderbolt

My Unexpected Gift - Chapter Twelve

Scoot's Mom, The Wonderbolt

* * *

"Ok team! I know we haven't been at our best game the last few weeks," the fiery maned female captain started, calling the twelve other ponies present to their habitual pre-practice assembly, "But I have some news that's sure to perk you right up!"

The ponies all mumbled, wondering what the announcement might be.

"Brother Dash has been cleared for stunt flight training again!" the yellow-orange mare exclaimed, trying to ignite the spirits in her flying team.

It was five minutes before practice officially started. Usually, the light blue Pegasus stallion would be doing the morning team meeting right along with her, but today he was needed somewhere else instead. Besides, it wouldn't have been as fun if he had been present when she announced his newly received permission to rejoin the aerodynamic flight team in the sky.

"How the heck did Rainbow get her hooves on a scalpel anyway?" Surprise asked, chiding a giggle to the best of her abilities but failing miserably, for the millionth time in the last three weeks, recalling the somewhat exaggerated tale her strong-willed leader had told them.

"Once again, I don't have the slightest idea, Surprise," the leader deadpanned, "Nor do I think I actually _want_ to know."

The very thought of how it might have happened sent a shiver down her spine. She could only imagine.

"Now come on, lazy flanks!" she continued after a moment, not losing an ounce of vigor in her tongue, "My daughter's class is coming to take a tour and I wanna put on a real show stopper for her and all her friends!"

* * *

"Ok class," started the mulberry earth pony teacher, addressing the four rows of pupils in front of her, "Remember to thank Ms. Sparkle for the cloud walking spell and Mr. Dash for the cloud ride."

Scootaloo wasn't listening. She was too excited to hear the teacher. I mean, come on, how could she be expected to focus on her lessons when she was just about to get to show her mom off? Since her mom was always working on getting the paperwork filed for the team around the time of Family Appreciation Day, she was always a no show when it came time for Scootaloo to present her mom.

The orange filly's persistent lack of presenting relatives and her mom's refusal to allow their personal information to be dealt out to just anyone, made a few bullies in her class, namely Diamond Tiara and her accomplice, Silver Spoon, start making up spurious rumors about her being a homeless orphan. Her friends, of course, knew otherwise; as did a few select others who watched them. Rainbow and Soarin' would sometimes even pick her up from school or whatever for her over-scheduled mother.

"Scootaloo, please get in line." she heard her teacher request, the sound of her name bringing her out of her thoughts, "I know you're excited, but please _try_ to pay attention."

The orange blank flank offered her teacher a sheepish grin before scampering out of her desk and joining her two best friends in line. Today was going to be awesome!

* * *

Soarin' shifted his glance down to the small white box in his hooves. Without looking, the light blue Pegasus already knew it was the prettiest necklace he had ever laid eyes on. Taking a sigh of content, he slipped it into the innermost compartment of his saddle bag. He couldn't wait for tonight. He had arranged a romantic evening just for the two of them. Tonight he was going to pop the question. Tonight.

But, for now, he had to get to Ponyville Library and get a cloud carriage ready for the foals coming to tour the Wonderbolts Head Quarters and Training Center. His co-captain, Spitfire, was especially excited for the performance at the end of the tour because her only foal, a small, spunky pegasus filly by name of Scootaloo, was part of the visiting group, as were her two best friends. Soarin', admittedly, was more excited for the tour than usual as well, as his mare friend's younger sister, a little yellow filly who was known to the world as Apple Bloom, was one of those two comrades.

It made Soarin' wonder. Would Rainbow be this excited to show off her son or daughter to her teammates? Would the foal be just as excited to show off his/her mother? More? Less? He remembered the last time he flew his female co-part's daughter home a month ago, she had gushed on and on about how she couldn't wait for today's field trip.

After contemplating what his yet to be born niece or nephew for a few more minutes, he realized he had arrived at the town's library. These ideas could wait. He had a job to do.

* * *

Scootaloo's wings fluttered excitedly, lifting her tiny figure a few minuscule inches in the air as her class as they made their way to Books and Branches library, home of Ponyville's resident librarian, Twilight Sparkle. After her non-pegasi classmates got the magical assistance needed for them to attend this field trip without serious injuries and the possibility of death, Soarin' was to take the bunch of them up to Cloudsdale. That's when the real fun would happen.

* * *

Soarin' gave a sigh of defeat as he flew the class back to the ground. The tour had started out fine... until a pink filly with a tiara, whom the light blue pegasus presumed was the class bully, called Spitfire's daughter a flightless domesticated bird. That's when things turned ugly.

The scooter riding filly, along with her two fellow blank flank friends, told her to knock it off and, in response, the spoiled filly tried to knock the flightless filly off the cloud. Soarin' wasn't sure what would have happened if his co-captain wasn't close enough to catch her daughter, but he's sure the souvenir both fillies received would involve wheelchairs.

The rescue from mortal danger did not save her from an emotional downfall, however. It had been all to similar to the incident that robbed her of her father and flight, opening many old wounds. Last Soarin' checked, the filly's mother was phoning her daughter's therapist.

Spitfire, furious at the little she demon that shoved her daughter, had Surprise fly the worthless brat of a foal home to explain the incident before sending her co-captain to take the rest of the foals back to the school house, thus cutting their tour an hour and a half short. In the desperation to avoid his partner's fury, he accidentally picked up the wrong saddle bag. This saddle bag was near empty besides an issue of _Equestrian Parenting Today_ and a few pictures of an orange winged filly.

* * *

**Sorry about the updates, or there lack of. Updates will hopefully happen more frequently** **-(**keep your fingers crossed**)-** **from now on. Thanks for all the support everypony, the story would be nothing without it! Please leave feedback if you can, as that is how I improve, edit and get new ideas for the story!**

**-Cinnamon Clover, the fanfic novelist**


	13. A Wild Wonderbolt Chase

My Unexpected Gift - Chapter Thirteen

A Wild Wonderbolt Chase

* * *

"I'm sorry that we had to end your class' tour short, Cheerilee" the light blue stallion' apologized half-hazardously as he helped a filly off the cloud.

They were in front of the red one-room school house that educated all of Ponyville's youth.

"No, no, I believe I should be the one apologizing." the mulberry mare insisted, "I should have known something like this would have happened, especially considering Diamond Tiara's record. She tried to do something quite similar a few months back."

"Diamond Tiara, so _that's_ the little brat's name." the co-captain of Equestria's premier flight team grumbled angrily, "What's her problem, anyway?"

"I wish I knew." Ponyville's resident educator replied with a sigh.

Soarin' had attended school with Cheerilee and the two were still on rather good terms with each other. He knew how much it hurt her to see a student that could be so... _malicious_.

"Hey, don't worry about it, Cheery." he assured her using her childhood nickname.

She sighed and smiled.

"Yeah, alright," she agreed, "Would you mind walking Apple Bloom home? I couldn't get a hold of her siblings to tell them the trip was done early."

"Sure, I was gonna take her home anyway." he confirmed before trotting over to the swings to collect the yellow filly.

"Hey squirt!" he greeted as he approached the small filly.

"Hey Soarin'..." she mumbled sadly.

She wasn't even bothering to make eye contact with the blue on blue stallion, opting, rather, to keep her eyes in the general vicinity of the wood chips beneath her, her vision blurred by salty tears. Soarin' didn't know what was wrong, but he was gonna find out.

"Hey, what's wrong, kid? I know that you weren't as excited-" the athletic stallion started, only to stop mid-sentence, "You're worried about Scoot, aren't you?"

The youngest Apple sibling just nodded in response, her face still tilted downward.

"AB, kid, look, I know things might seem rough but she'll bounce right back." he comforted the filly with a hoof on the back, "She's a tough little cookie."

AB wiped her eyes with her hoof before turning up to look at him.

"You-you really think so?" the red maned filly asked for affirmation.

"I don't just think so, I know so." Soarin' insisted, "I've known that little ragamuffin since she was a newborn. She's never once given up. Ever."

This made the little filly give a small smile. She knew he was right. In all the time she had known the spunky pegasus, she had never once given in.

"All right," the goofy stallion started once again in a far more playful manner as he got down to the ground, "Now how about we get you back home!"

The pale yellow filly jumped off the swing and climbed onto the back of her older sibling's colt friend. Soarin twisted his neck slightly so he could see the young filly. The filly, seeing this, gave a firm, swift nod, signaling to the Wonderbolt that she was ready for takeoff. The Wonderbolt buzzed his wings excitedly, somehow managing imitating the sound of an engine.

"Three... two... one... Blast off!" he counted down before springing to the air and flying quickly but carefully back to Sweet Apple Acres where her family was most likely finishing up lunch.

They had barely been flying thirty seconds when he heard his passenger speak up from behind his ears.

"Hey," she started, gaining the light blue stallion's attention, "Why's this bag say 'Property of Spitfire'?"

_'Oh horse apples!'_ the stallion swore inwardly to himself.

"Um… Apple Bloom," he started anxiously, trying to disguise his displeasure with the situation as he slowed his pace, "Would you mind if I made a quick detour?"

* * *

"Hey Rapidfire," Soarin greeted Silver Lining by his epithet, "Have you seen Spitfire anywhere?"

Apple Bloom was laying half asleep on Soarin's back, the day's excitement and anticipation tuckering her out.

"Yeah, Spits left with that little filly of hers a few minutes ago. Said something about a psychiatrist." his fellow Wonderbolt answered with a shrug, pretending not to notice the little filly perched on his captain's backside, "Why?"

"There was slight mix-up with our saddle bags." the green-eyed stallion explained before continuing, "Do you know by any chance who the little squirt's shrink is or maybe where the practice is?"

"Umm… I think it was Heart Talk or something like that." the silver maned stallion thought out loud, "Yeah, Heart Talk. That sounds about right. I think her office is over in Neighponyville."

Soarin' was just about to take off when his passenger stirred slightly, reminding him of her presence. He rotated his head slightly and gave her a gentle nudge with his muzzle.

"Hey sleepy head," he addressed the blurry eyed foal as she rubbed her eyes, "We have one more stop to make but I need you to be awake so you don't fall off of me, 'kay?"

The tired filly yawned before giving a nod and wrapping her hooves around his neck. The stallion once again took to the skies and sped off in the direction of the suburban town.

* * *

"Oh I know I put my insurance card in here somewhere." Spitfire mumbled to nopony in particular as she fumbled through her saddle bags.

This was normal, as her saddlebags were normally cluttered by various stereotypical but necessary items a mom would have in easy reach, including an insurance card. Today, however, her bag was unusually barren. So far she had found nothing but a few pastry crumbs. Had somepony robbed her? She sure hoped not!

Suddenly the doors burst open to reveal a panting stallion that the widowed mother immediately recognized as her co-worker, Soarin'. Around his neck was an adrenalin shocked filly, Scootaloo's best friend, Apple Bloom. What in Equestria were they doing here? After taking a moment to catch his breath, the male co-captain spoke up.

"Spitfire," he panted as he removed the satchels, "I accidently took your bags by mistake."

"Well, that explains why my bag is lighter!" she joked as she hooved over his flight bag.

Apple Bloom, slightly less disoriented than she was a minute ago, hopped off from the pale blue stallion's backside and shook her head loose of cobwebs before approaching her friend's mother.

"Is she gonna be ok?" the little farm filly asked with the most pleading puppy dog eyes.

Spitfire, being a trained veteran in the mother disciplinary arts could manage to resist the pouty face, big eyes and all, was happy that she didn't have to use her experience against the cuteness.

"Don't worry sweetheart," she assured the young earth pony, "She'll be up and ready for crusading by tomorrow afternoon. Now I think you two should get going. They don't like loiterers."

* * *

"Hey Soarin'," the small filly started, "Why was it so important that you brought Mrs. Spitfire's bags back right away?"

Soarin' wasn't quite sure how he'd explain the concept of insurance to the filly, nor did he quite want a certain yellow filly spilling the beans before tonight, so he kept the answer short and simple: "Because a mom's saddlebag is their life line. It has everything they need to keep their foal safe."

"Oh! That makes sense!" she remarked before continuing, "So, it didn't have anything to do with getting _your_ saddlebags back, then?"

Oh horse apples, she was good.

"It-it has nothing to do with my saddlebags," he fibbed, "I-I mean sure I'd _like_ them back, but-"

"Then, I guess you don't have a problem with me taking a peak?" Apple Bloom lured the stallion into omission.

"What! No!" Soarin' exclaimed.

"Then tell me why you wanted your bags right then." Apple Bloom offered.

Soarin' played both situations through his mind and decided the latter of the given options would be the least undesirable.

"Well?" the filly with the red bow prodded.

"Fine! I'll tell you!" he sounded before calming his voice down, "Tonight's our, me and your sister's, fifth anniversary and I got her a very pretty necklace."

"Why'd you try to hide something like that?" she asked puzzled.

"Well, it's a very special necklace." he answered simply.

"Why?" she asked curiously.

Soarin' wasn't sure exactly how to put this in words so the answer he gave was the only grade school level summary he could think of: "Because I love her."

* * *

_A/N from original posting on separate site. Don't ask what's going on, because I seriously can't remember nor do I have the brain power to read what I write at the moment:_

**I decided to split it, though this means two chapters in a row with no Rainbow Dash to make it 20% cooler.**


	14. Bore You To Sleep

My Unexpected Gift - Chapter Fourteen

Bore You To Sleep

* * *

Rainbow shifted uncomfortably on the examination table as she waited impatiently for the doctor. Beads of perspiration caressed her cheeks and forehead. To her left was her best friend, Apple Jack, who was holding her hoof in an attempt to mollify the nervous mother to be. On her right was her mom, running her hoof through her daughter's multi-chromatic mane sympathetically.

Today she was having her first appointment with the pregnancy doctor and she couldn't be more nervous. What if something was wrong with the baby? What if she was sick or going to die? She was using all her willpower keep herself seated and not flying out of the office, avoiding any developments about her foal, whether it be good or bad.

Rainbow heard the click of a door opening and looked up to see a pink earth pony mare. She had her neon blue mane tied back in tight bun as most medical mares and a pair of brown spectacles adorned the bridge of her muzzle. A white medical coat obscured her cutie mark and a stethoscope hung loosely from her neck.

"Hello Miss Dash," she greeted, acknowledging only the mare on the sterile cot, "I'm Dr. Withers, your obstetrician. Based on the fact that you need a doctor of my specialization and the medical report I received from my cousin, Dr. Happy, you are expecting. He would have discussed it with you had you not _ahem_"checked out early" so how about we start where he left off?"

Rainbow Dash gave her a confused look. What was this crazy mare talking about?

"Congratulation Miss Dash! In about nine months you'll be a mother!" the midwife enthused energetically before returning to her formal tone, "Now that that's out of the way, let me explain to you some of various bodily changes that you may experience in the coming months. As you most likely know, the most noticeable is usually weight gain but there are many others such as acne, increased urination…"

* * *

"… And those are just some of the many physical and emotional transformations that you may experience before the foal arrives." the medically inclined mare finished her loquacity half an hour later, "Any questions?"

Rainbow didn't reply. At first the two mares accompanying her thought she was taking the massive spur of information in, but after a few moments Apple Jack realized why her longtime friend wasn't responding. Her eyelids were shut, head was drooping and drool was dripping from her open mouth. She was sleeping. AJ, slightly irritated at her friend's attention span, or there lack of, gave her a small shove, instantly waking the expecting mare.

"Huh? What? 42!" Rainbow Dash exclaimed upon waking, earning a face hoof from both her friend and mother, "Uh, sorry what were you saying?"

"I said, _'Any questions?'_" the medical mare sounded, annoyed that her client had not even managed to last her explanation.

"Umm… No?" Rainbow guessed as though it was a trick question instead of the very straight forward question it was.

The maternity physician sighed as she scribbled out something on a blue piece of paper and handing it to the less than attentive mare.

"What's this?" the cyan mare asked, a puzzled look transfixed upon her face as she looked at the illegible long hoof written note.

"A prescription," the doctor deadpanned, "for maternity vitamins. They aren't necessarily required to ensure the health of your foal, but they certainly would help."

"Thanks doc!" Rainbow expressed her gratitude with a mock salute.

"Just doing my job." the specialist replied, trying her best to hide her irritation with the mare before pushing the three out the door, "Now good day, and good bye."

The door slammed shut behind them. Rainbow, clearly disgusted at the mare's sudden brusqueness, grunted.

"What's her problem?" she grumbled angrily.

The mares who had accompanied her simultaneously face hoofed in exasperation.

* * *

AJ sighed as she looked at her reflection in the silver like bathroom mirror. Her mane was free of it's usual rubber band and Stetson, allowing the blond strands to hang comfortably from her head. In her hoof was a brush she was using to get the knots out. Usually, she didn't care how she presented her mane as so long as it didn't attract any unwanted attention and wasn't in the way while she worked. Tonight, however, wasn't just any night.

No, tonight was date night for her and Soarin'. More specifically, this evening was their anniversary. Even more specifically, it was the fifth anniversary of their first date. To celebrate their half a decade of blissful love, the young lovers were going to a bistro in Canterlot that Spike has recommended to them. Soarin' never really minded the slightly unkept state of her mane, but, considering the occasion, she thought it might be nice to do something with it.

AJ heard the front door open and two sets of hooves step on to the wooden floorboards.

"AJ," called a honey sweet voice that the orange mare immediately recognized as her colt friend, "We're home! Ready to go?"

"One sec, Sugarcube." the farm mare returned as she placed the brush back down on the bathroom counter.

"Ok, sweetheart" he called back before trotting over to the living area to wait for his beloved.

The blond mare heard his light hoof-steps walk away from the piece of wood dividing them and returned her attention to the brush. It was full of odds and ends from her now untangled mane. She knew her hair was knotted in several places, but she wasn't expecting as much as her brush was instigating. That didn't matter really. The knots were all out. She began twisting her strands in a pretzel like fashion to form a braid. After crisscrossing her mane as much as she could, she tied it up with a green ribbon, similar to her sister's favorite red bow, and replaced her iconic wide brimmed hat on her head. Taking one last glance at her reflected image, she left the powder room.

* * *

Soarin' gave a soft smile as his beloved trotted into the living room. Her mane was twisted into a braid and the emerald green pendant he had given her Hearth's Warming hung from her neck. On her head sat her iconic tan ten gallon hat. She looked amazing! Soarin' hadn't realized he was staring till his date spoke up.

"Um... Soarin'" the mare started, "You ok, Sugar cube?"

The stallion gave a set of erratic shakes to his head, clearing the cobwebs.

"Uh, yeah!" he started awkwardly, "Um, let's go. The train is leaving soon."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

I hope you all enjoy, despite me holding off Soarin's proposal for yet another chapter.


	15. The Proposal

My Unexpected Gift - Chapter Fifth-Teen

The Proposal

* * *

AJ sighed contently as she looked up to Luna's night sky masterpiece, a million bright, twinkling diamond like stars blinking billions upon billions miles above their heads. She was laying back down on the lawn of Canterlot Gardens. Adjacent to her was her long-time lover, Soarin'. They were celebrating their fifth anniversary in the famed Equestrian capitol and, so far, everything had been perfect.

Her ears perked when she heard the off duty Wonderbolt take a deep breath, as though he was about to say something. She craned her neck slightly in the direction of the stallion as he began to speak.

"Luna sure did a great job tonight." he commented, admiring the flickering panorama.

"Yeah, she did." the orange farm mare agreed.

After a moment or so of silence between the couple, the co-captain of the Wonderbolts spoke up again

"You know," the blue stallion started, "Our dad used to tell me and Rainbow that the stars were windows looking into Celestia's Paradise."

"Yeah," the mare agreed, "Ma used to tell us our pappy was watching us through the stars."

"It makes sense." Soarin' added off hoofedly.

"What do you mean that, Sugar cube?" his mare friend inquired.

"The story about the stars being windows." he elaborated, "Considering what Rainbow described in that dream she had, maybe it isn't quite as fictional as we thought."

"Yeah, I guess it does." AJ thought out loud.

The silence that followed was unbearable, like a pane of broken glass. Finally, after what seemed to be a millennium, Soarin' broke the silence.

"Sorry that I broke the promise." he apologized.

"Soarin', I told you, it wasn't your fault." the orange mare sighed.

"I know, but seeing my baby sister so weak like that." he shuddered slightly as he tried to keep himself together, "It made me realize something."

"What?" the tangerine mare inquired, her curiosity piqued.

The light blue stallion took a reassuring breath before answering.

"Life is short and you should as much of it you can with the ones you love." he started, "That got me thinking."

He paused a moment before continuing as he climbed up to his hooves.

"I want to spend the rest of my life with you. I want to wake up every morning in your embrace. I want to be there to laugh with you when your happy and dry your eyes when your sad. I want you to be the last thing before I go to sleep and the first thing I see when I wake up." Soarin' pronounced his love.

"Wh-what?" Applejack asked, stunned by the sudden passion filled proclamation before quickly climbing to her hooves.

"Applejack, I have only taken off four weeks the eight years I've been a member of the Wonderbolts and, even then, they were taken as sick days" Soarin' explained, "So eight times three... minus four... that means I have twenty weeks of unused vacation time on my hooves. I've decided to cash half of them in for after the performing season to spend the rest of the year with the mare I love."

"That's very sweet of you, Sugar cube," the mare protested, "But you don't have to do that for me."

"No, I really want to. I meant it when I said I want to spend the rest of my life with you," the light blue pegasus insisted, "And that leads me to my question."

The blue maned pegasus got down on one knee and took the perplexed Applejack's hoof. He pulled out a black felt box and a sudden sense of realization struck the farm mare's face.

"Applejack, the last five years have been the happiest years of my life and I hope for many more with you." he started, opening the container to reveal a stunning diamond necklace, "Applejack Olivia Apple, would you have the honor of being my bride?"

Tears of joy swelled in the young mare's eyes as she heard the timeless question anticipated so many: "Will you marry me?

AJ nodded enthusiastically as Soarin' set the necklace tenderly around her neck.

_Now_, everything was truly perfect.

* * *

**Author's Notes:**

**Ta-Da! You are now up to date with this story's primary location!**


	16. Dust and Doubt

My Unexpected Gift Chapter Sixteen

Dust and Doubt

* * *

**"Ahh-ah choo!"**

This was a sound that always seemed to follow her when she climbed up to the storage space that separated the top floor from the wooden shingles that adorned the roof. Usually this reflexive impulse was a nuisance and cause for alarm if anypony heard it. Today, however, while it was still a diversion from the task ahead, it was a tolerated one. After all, how often does one look for their mother's wedding dress in order to prepare for their own special day?

Twice.

AJ knew, deep down, celebrities, like her fiancé, divorced and remarried, sometimes four or five times. It wasn't an oddity for regular ponies such as herself to be filing for divorce either, such as Filthy Rich and Crowning Jewel had done almost a decade ago.

No.

AJ shook her head as if to empty all traces of doubt on to the rafters. Most, if not all, of those had been were marriage of business, not love. Although, Magnum and Pearl seemed to love each other wholeheartedly and they split the knot a little over two years before. Nopony, not even their daughters, saw it coming. All anypony knew is that one day when Sweetie came home, her dad had moved away to Canterlot and her mom was in absolute shambles.

_No._

Magnum had forced love on his wife's best friend, Ditzy, when she delivered parcels to the office he worked at. The foal the mail-mare had given birth to year or so ago had his horn and mane. That, coupled up with the self proclaimed Muffin Queen turning up at the Belle house right after the incident and two hours before his sudden disappearance at the Belle house with tears in her eyes, left little to the imagination as to why they were no longer on speaking terms. Soarin' wasn't like that. He was the one who taught his sister, the element of loyalty, how to be loyal. Then again, some relationships were too rushed and they weren't ready for the commitment. That's what happened to her uncle and namesake, Oliver Apple. Almond Twist had been seven months pregnant with her cousin Braeburn when they exchanged vows and they didn't stay together long enough for the floozy of a mare to hear her son's first words.

**_No!_**

AJ gave herself a slap to the cheek, hoping to end her mind's doubtful wandering.

**_Soarin' loves me for me, not for the farm. He's loyal as he is good lookin'. We might be rushin' the engagement period to a close for Rainbow's sake, but we're ready to make that big step._**

**"Ahh-choo!"**

She sneezed again as she approached what appeared to be a sheet-covered trunk. She felt a cough rise in her throat as she pulled away the faded linen and dust sputtered into the air, obscuring her vision. When she the dust settled and she was no longer hacking the particles that came with out of her airway, the golden maned mare looked to see that it wasn't the clothes chest she had been looking for. No, rather, it was a wooden chest lined in a gold painted material, as though trying to mimic the treasures dug up by pirates. On the top of the lid there was a piece of faded, paper-like tape with the words "TIME CAPSUL" written in big messy, foal-like writing. Underneath was a forewarning written in smaller but equally messy writing, bearing the message "Don't even think about opening this till we get our cutie marks or Night Mare Moon will eat you!".

If it weren't for the three little crusaders knowing about Nightmare Moon, she would have supposed it was theirs and kept on looking. Whose was it then? Suddenly, AJ was drawn out of her thoughts as another voice filled the room.

"AJ, you ok up here?" sounded the caring yet concerned voice of her fiancé as he flew through the entrance hole and over to her side, "I heard a lot of noise and-"

"Ah'm fine. Just some dust got caught in my pipes," she assured, interrupting his worry filled whirl-a-wind, "That's all. Well, that and lookin' for the dress."

Before she could do so much as ask why he was home so early, it being only eleven, the Wonderbolt caught site of the mock-treasure chest.

"Hey, I remember this!" he exclaimed excitedly, "Oh wow, me and Mac had to be no more than twelve when we built this."

A sudden click went off in the farm mare's noggin, making the connection between the two. Oh, so _that's_ what became of their "time treasure" as she and her soon-to-be in-law dubbed it. Only Soarin' had his cutie mark at the time and they decided they would all open it the day the last one got their cutie mark followed by PB n' Js to celebrate. Of course, following everypony else in her family and Rainbow Dash following everypony in hers, it had been her three red apples to appear last and that had been two months after Rainbow got her tri-colored lightning bolt and was promptly expelled from flight camp... nearly fifth-teen years ago.

"Hey, Ah know we're a little late... but do ya think ya could get 'em over here for lunch? I'll make the sandwiches."

* * *

A/N: I know, I know! I had that story arc all written out but then I saw Equestria Girls. Had to bend with the cannon and, as a result, scrap the entire arc! Uh! Well, enjoy! Chapter Seventeen will be up before Monday night and that promise I'm 99.99% sure I can wield. See ya soon, readers and/or commenters!


	17. A Treasure Trove of Memories Part One

My Unexpected Gift - Chapter Seventeen

A Treasure Trove of Memories Part One

* * *

Rainbow had a feeling she didn't have often. It was good and full of laughs of years gone by. It was like reliving the best parts of her foalhood all over again. It brought a small trickling crack of a smile and a left her with a glow. What had that little filly she watched the other day called it again, mistalgia? Maybe nistalgia? Nostalgia? Yeah, nostalgia, that sounded right. This nostalgia filled her heart with a light disposition, but not purely that. It was also a rather... um, what was that word, bitter-something? Bitter-happy? Uh-uh. Bitter-smile? She didn't think so. Bitter-candy? No, that didn't make any sense. But maybe... bitter-sweet? That's it! It was a bittersweet feeling, making her heart long of the day of yore, for the blissfully unaware days of pre-k, before she had her dad torn out of her life.

In her left hoof was a small metal frame holding a picture of her family, taken when she was just barely out of diapers. In the other, her foalhood nap-time buddy and slayer of manticores in the closet, Mr. Snuggles the teddy bear, was being held against her chest, as she did when she was just learning how to glide. The now very worn, patched-up, originally brown ursa plushie had been hand-stiched as a gift from her father before she was even out of the womb. She felt a salty droplet form in the corner of her eye.

No, she couldn't cry. She realized she had to stop that pity party a good twenty years ago. Still, she missed him so much, especially now. She heaved her sob back in and wiped the self-created ocean-esque bead away, only to feel the muscular leg of another pony arm around her backside. Not as a sign of intimacy or to get her attention, but to comfort her.

She rotated her neck slightly to see the red coated stallion who was her brother in everything but name (and DNA, of course), giving her a sympathetic half-smile. While Soarin was the best big brother anypony could ask for, Big Mac's rather quiet demeanor made it easier for him to pick up on things the Wonderbolt would miss... like the near silent cry that almost came to be.

Rainbow, realizing she had been caught, finally let her wall down and allowed her tears to flow freely and through her legs around the stallion's currently yoke-less neck. Big Mac just sat there for a near minute, opting to let her tears accumulate on his shoulder. When she broke the hug, her magenta eyes were puffy and his red tear soaked patch of coat was now scruffy, signs of a good sob session.

The cyan mare silently mouthed the words "thank you" as the two climbed back to all four before trotting over to where their siblings were feeding each other, their front legs locked in some strange embrace of their own invention and intention.

* * *

"Hey, here's something." Soarin' pulled out a dust coated book of some sort.

Using his uniform as a dust rag, he grabbed a bit of the suit and wiped a few dust bunnies from the cover, revealing a picture of them from Rainbow's fifth birthday party, all their faces covered in cake and chocolate frosting with ear to ear, Pinkie Pie rivaling grins and colorfully patterned paper cones tied to their heads. Forming a partial half-circle above it was the word "Friends" in colorful, wooden, block-like letters. It was the scrap book their moms had been keeping for them all those years ago. The four friends gathered around incredulously. How in Equestria had that ended up in the chest? They weren't done with that yet.

Careful to not undo or rip the cloth binding that held the pages together, Soarin' turned the cover to the first of many pages. In big, uppercase blue lettering at the top of the page spelled his name, birthday and the time he was born, denoting this page and the one following it were filled with his baby pictures. The first one was of him in his mother's legs, taken just a few minutes after he was born if the hospital gown, tired but joyful eyes and disheveled mane that were being adorned by Bisque were any indication. The next was of him taking a nap in his god mom's lap. There was one of him drinking out of a bottle. Another of him was him in a little plastic tub boldly labeled "Baby's First Bath". One of him gliding around on his baby magic. The basic baby picture package.

After his two pages of infant-hood messterpieces and cuter-than-lifes, there was another set of birth information in red for his six months younger best friend. It was filled with same expected select moments of cute snapshots, with the exception of flying which was replaced by him trying to fit a rather large apple into his toothless mouth.

The next five pages were filled with the two of them as tots. Dozens upon dozens of perfectly timed moments of them do various activities alone and together. From their moms teaching them to swim to Soarin's first flying lesson to lil' Mac's first family reunion. The last picture was of a four year old Mac with his ear against his mother's expanded belly with aw and wonder at the prospect of getting a baby sister.

That, of course, led to AJ's baby pictures. It followed the same guidelines as the boys rattles and crawlers, but the pony obviously had more experience. Among them was the little red colt peering into his sister's cradle the day she came home, setting his eyes on the orange filly that was his baby sister.

* * *

_"Can Ah please see mah baby sister now?" pleaded an stalky red colt no older than four years old as of last month, putting on his biggest, saddest puppy dog eyes._

_Granny Smith rolled her eyes playfully at her grandcolt's antics, "Fine. Just be very quiet and very careful. Your Ma's still recoverin' and I don't ya makin' a ruckus."_

_The pre-k age foal nodded profusely, "Don't worry Granny. Apple's Honor."_

_"Good colt." the elder mare rustled his mane with her hoof, "Now git. Yer Auntie Bisque is gonna be hear any minute to see her new god kin."_

_Heeding his grandmother's orders, he tipped toed quietly, as well as carefully, into the nursery. Peering into the little white baby bed he saw an adorable newborn orange filly sleeping soundly on her side. She was perfect._

* * *

The next two pages following that consisted of the sky blue colt, his mother and a violet coated stallion that shared his mother's mane, all together smiling. Most of these had them decked out in their Sunday's best's best, but the first one was them in au natural, like they normally were, at some sort of festival grounds. The stallion was on one knee, holding a black felt box like his son had done just a week prior to the time capsule opening. The mare was standing there, flustered as all get out with the slight glint of moisture in her eyes. On looking the young couple was the mare's son, watching with a puzzled, unreadable expression.

* * *

_What were they doing? Was mister Dash gonna kiss Mommy again? Soarin' sure hoped not! Kisses were gross and their kisses made a lot of noise, especially when the two were in Mommy's room. What had his neighbor called it, pushion? Well, pushion was awfully noisy at it made their wings fling open a lot. Soarin' decided not to notice. Mommy was happy so he should be happy too, right? And mister Dash was awfully nice, not like the stallions who used to kiss his mommy... and he was always happy to read him a bedtime story if his mommy was making all that weird smelling stuff that came out of his tummy when he didn't feel to good._

_The four and three quarters year old looked up to see his mommy and "the nice stallion who made his mommy happy" approaching him. He did his best to fake a smile so Mommy would be happy 'cause she looked like she had a boo-boo and smiling was always the best medicine... but she was already smiling. Then why was she crying?_

_"Hey champ," the violet stallion started, temporarily distracting the young child from his mother's conflicting body language, "I was wondering if you'd be ok with calling me dad."_

_Why would he call mister Dash that? He wasn't his daddy!_

_"Why?" was obviously every four year old's favorite word and Soarin' put it to use again._

_"Cause me and you're mommy are gonna get married and every little colt needs one."_

* * *

A/N: Part One: Finished! Part Two: Tomorrow! Even split in half, this chapter is damn f**king huge!


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